The Highlands and Islands of Scotland are some of the most remote, rugged and beautiful within the British Isles. Bigger than Belgium, they account for over fifty per cent of Scotland but have a tiny total population. Living in one of the most isolated regions in Europe, you’d expect to be without some of the modern conveniences we take for granted, and popping out to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster is probably one of them. Even if you’re prepared to travel, there are just not that many towns in the region big enough to justify their own cinema. Apart from the more cosmopolitan Inverness (population 15,000), there are only a handful of others with a permanent cinema and many of the Islands: Western Isles, Shetland and most of the Inner Hebrides don’t have any. However, just because a community is tiny and remote doesn’t mean that they can’t, and shouldn’t, have access to popular culture. As Highlands and Islands Arts Ltd (HI-Arts) say, cinema is important, ‘To strengthen community identity and confidence, and also to increase understanding and appreciation of film as a medium.’
This was the impressive attitude behind HI-Arts’ thinking when they embarked on an ambitious journey to bring cinema to the people with The Screen Machine. Drawing and expanding on the long-running and valuable tradition of other mobile services such as the libraries and banks, The Screen Machine is a mobile cinema. It is almost like a self-contained, modern version of the old drive-in, with a trailer that unfolds to provide a 102-seat cinema. Sponsored by Scottish Gas, in partnership with Scottish Screen, Scottish Arts Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the cinema has all the luxuries of a static movie theatre; an auditorium with digital surround sound, air conditioning, comfortable raked seating and full disabled access. It can also provide video projection and PowerPoint conference facilities. So, as Robert Livingston, Director of HI-Arts says, ‘The Screen Machine was a first for the area and has proved a huge success, making a night at the movies a regular event in communities where a trip to the cinema was previously a major undertaking.’
HI-Arts attributes its success to the fact that it provides access to mainstream new releases and a quality cinema experience. However it has not been an overnight success story, nor without its problems. The original idea came from the French company Toutenkamion who had already built a ‘Cinemobile’. Initial UK interest in this vehicle began way back in 1994, and various Scottish parties (including HIE, the then Highland Local Authorities and Scottish Film Council) immediately recognised the potential for their communities. Run by HI-Arts, they pursued and eventually won funding from the newly available Scottish Arts Council Lottery Fund. Unfortunately, due to various regulation issues and the need to have the vehicle specifically designed for the Highlands, it was impossible to buy a ‘Cinemobile’ direct from the French. Instead they had to design and build their own – complying with a SAC funding condition that EU tendering procedure was to be followed. These factors, combined with an unprofessional building company, resulted in a deeply flawed ‘prototype’, a flagging in enthusiasm, and a lengthy, frustrating and expensive correction process to create the Screen Machine we now know. Even then, and notwithstanding its many attributes, the Screen Machine has never been totally reliable and has required costly structural repairs.
Nevertheless demand has soared over the past five years and with it an uptake on ticket sales. The Screen Machine has proven its popularity and adaptability in many different ways. In 2000 and 2001 it did a four-week tour of duty in Bosnia, convincing the Ministry of Defence to invest in one of their own. It inspired two similar vehicles in Ireland and has been a venue for live music shows, conferences, and the Celtic International Festival of Film and TV; it also operated without incident in total extremes of temperature. All this, combined with the demands of a busy touring schedule – moving over rough Highland terrain every three to four days, showing three films over eight screenings – resulted in enormous wear and tear on the never robust vehicle and it was becoming increasingly unreliable. However, this is not the end to this particular tale. A magical wave from the wands of: the Scottish Arts Council National Lottery Fund (£428,000), HIE (£150,000) and funding from Scottish Gas, Scottish Rural Challenge Fund and Volvo, have enabled HI-Arts to order a stronger, more efficient new vehicle, and this time they’re speaking directly to Toutenkamion! Robert Livingston of HI-Arts is delighted, ‘Improvements in design from what we have learned over the past five years on the road will mean the new Screen Machine will offer a better service to its regular customers and go to places which have not been on the regular circuit.’
The story of the Screen Machine Sequel is a small but significant triumph amidst the doom and gloom chat about the failure of funding structures to reach the ‘real’ people. It gently reminds us how much we take for granted simply because we have access to it; and that all art need not be ‘high art’, nor does it have to be difficult. It clearly shows how Lottery funding is able to reach out and make a difference to the wider community in a totally tangible way; and how the very accountability this necessitates, results in the red tape mess of regulations that often hamstring us from doing our jobs well or efficiently. Finally, in its adaptability The Screen Machine is such a clear example of how people want and need community spaces, where gatherings and communal experiences are possible. Ultimately though, the original Screen Machine was able to work through the drive and commitment of the small charitable company, HI-Arts. The ‘sequel’ will no doubt be even bigger and better and we look forward to welcoming it onto the roads.
For further information see www.hi-arts.co.uk .